Monday, February 25, 2013

Chickpeas is the preferred bean to use for this dish, compared to black beans when the flavors of black beans did not really quite hit the correct spot for curry the other time.

When able to plan ahead, dried chickpeas is recommended for this dish as the texture using cooked dried beans results in firmer bean texxture compared to the the all-mushy and dull texture of canned beans. Even falafels - chickpea patty taste better when using cooked dried beans.

That said, all above is do-able only when one is able to plan well ahead as dried beans typically need to be soaked overnight. So, if it is on the spur of the moment for a dish-in-a-hurry, canned beans definitely offers the other option.

This Chickpea (Channa) Curry 鸡豆咖哩 is cooked using similar recipe with a slight tweak (omitting the potatoes).

Chickpeas is also an excellent source of vitamins -A, Bs, C, E, K, minerals (Source: Livestrong.com, and Whole Foods ) and is long valued for its fiber content.